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Purdue Pharma's opioid force lied to the Oregon Pharmacy Council and targeted the elderly, according to a complaint filed Thursday by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
The Rosenblum office filed a notice on June 27 in a first step to sue the manufacturer of Oxycontin beyond what the state says is 10 years of violations of a settlement. 39; State. The notice required that Purdue abide by the terms of a 2007 settlement or that Oregon file a lawsuit.
On Thursday, the state demanded more than a million dollars and a ban on selling opioids to Purdue to Oregon's seniors. The lawsuit alleges that the company has distributed publications and partnered with industry-funded advocacy organizations in Oregon with false and misleading claims, trained its sales force to minimize the harms of Oxycontin and target
"Ten years later, it is clear that Purdue has flouted the judgment and ignored the severe federal sanctions," says the lawsuit.
Oregon is part of coordinated efforts by states to hold opioid societies accountable and recover some money to pay for drug treatment. This last trial, however, is not part of this effort.
Oregon is probably the first state to cite the Prevention of Abuse of Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Act to say that Purdue was targeting seniors. Evidence includes that The Oregonian / OregonLive reports that in 2015, for every 100,000 seniors living in Oregon, nearly 700 people aged 65 and over were sent to the US. hospital because of opioids.
The complaint states that opioids can increase the risk of falls, fractures and death in the elderly. It also claims that the company was targeting long-term care facilities and urged physicians to prescribe opioids at higher doses than those safe for people over 65 years of age.
The suit also alleges that each year, when Purdue renewed its request to sell Oxycontin in Oregon to the state pharmacy board, she lied as to whether she had been subject to state and federal sanctions.
Purdue had to pay fines and some senior executives were charged with crimes for the manner in which the company marketed and sold Oxycontin.
Most states recognize the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis. Governor Kate Brown signed an executive decree at the beginning of the year calling it a state priority.
The Oregon Department of Justice has committed almost $ 4 million to fight the opioid epidemic, including $ 760,000 at Oregon Health & Science University to fund a library of evidence-based practices .
The lawsuit comes as Oregon-related opioid deaths begin to rise. Public health officials said earlier this year that fentanyl – an extraordinarily strong opioid common to people who can no longer access prescribed opioids – has been transferred to the state. Jackson County recorded a 70% increase in opioid overdose deaths in the first quarter of the year alone.
– Molly Harbarger
[email protected]
503-294-5923
@ MollyHarbarger
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